No Deep-Dish Option? If you happen to be really, really into Pizza Hut and posting about it on your various Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr and other social-media accounts, here's your chance: Pizza Hut is searching for a new social-media manager. The catch? The interviews will only last 140 seconds, so you'll have to dish all about yourself in less time than it takes to microwave a frozen pizza.

Ballsy Move: A Massachusetts man tries to steal two cans of PBR from a liquor store by stuffing them down his pant legs, then, when confronted, claims the suspicious bulge is merely his penis. The cashier then notes that no one's genitals are located in their ankle. The suspect's organ is supposed to be detachable, apparently--he then throws one of the cans at the cashier.

We Are Panthers, Hear Us Roar: The head of the Charlotte, N.C., restaurant trade group has swung his weight behind a food-and-beverage tax whose proceeds would be used to keep the Panthers in the Queen City for at least 15 years. No word on whether the NFL team members would then be required to wear ill-fitting t-shirts emblazoned with "Red Moon Pizzeria: We Deliver in 30 Minutes!" at all games.

Cancel My Reservation, Please:"Rapefruit" and Rosa Parks "Saute"--either two things served at the worst restaurant in the world, or more evidence why people should be willing to pay for decent copy editors.

Just Like Eating Out With Mother: Eater collects the best passive-aggressive Tweets from Michelin. A couple gems: "Apparently those purple bar stools at Corton are only for one cheek." And: "gamey, tough piece of deer meat that I barely touched at dinner... glad I have dogs to bring it home to."

As I mentioned in a post from two weeks ago, I started cooking in a restaurant. I've loved being in the commercial kitchen, but I think the toughest part is trying to maintain a healthy diet that doesn't get boring, yet eating food that delivers enough energy in order to keep up my stamina. Apparently a lot of coffee won't cut it.

What I've learned: have a hearty breakfast before getting to work. I've been eating banana with peanut butter for potassium and protein, and scrambled eggs. My mid-morning snack can be anything from fruit to a yogurt. For lunch, I try to get creative, but keep going back to an adaptation of our Kale and Quinoa salad with chicken. But I know I'll have to try something new soon. I try and drink a lot of water throughout the day, and also during service. And for dinner we always get family meal, which can be anything from pasta to rice to a salad.

I'm open to suggestions! Restaurant chefs what are you favorite go-to snacks, meals for when you're in the restaurant?

--I had forgotten how extraordinary Medjools are; it took friends who were just off shooting tumbleweeds in the West to remind me of that, with a gift box even The Cat wanted to dip a paw into.

--And I wonder if future Americans who grow up in radically different parts of the country will have radically different taste memories. Biting into one of these succulents took me back to my childhood in Arizona, where dates were a primo fresh fruit; in the Fifties and Sixties out there, they were much easier to find all year than apples, and my mom regularly baked date bars and date-chocolate-walnut cakes. By contrast, I don't think my consort, raised in Buffalo, N.Y., ever understood how great dates are until we traveled to Indio, Calif., ourselves back in the last century to experience the surreal date festival there. Today I assume all kids are being raised on what Big Food is selling. Sadly, I actually know youngs from anywhere in the USofA who are baking red velvet Rice Krispies Treats . . .

You'd think that the streets of Cheddar, England, and Caerphilly, Wales would be practically paved with their eponymous cheeses. You'd be wrong. Two weeks ago I was in both towns and I was hard pressed to find stores that sold the good stuff. It was almost a scene out of the Monty Python sketch (video above), where there is no cheese to be had at the cheese shop.

We had come to Cheddar to see the famous limestone caves, the home of prehistoric families 14,000 years ago, and where a complete 9,000-year-old skeleton was found in the early 20th century. Despite the fact that Cheddar been made since at least 1170, when King Henry II bought more than 10,000 pounds, and that it's likely the world's most popular cheese, there was only one place in the entire town to buy it--the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company. Once inside, there wasn't much other than flakey Cheddar cheese straws, jars of chutney, and tools and implements; nary a wheel about in the store! During high tourist season, I think visitors can go into the back to watch the curds and whey it is made...(har, har).

Caerphilly in South Wales is dominated by this gorgeous 13th-century castle--one of the largest Medieval fortifications in all of Europe. Its great hall still stands; a place no doubt, where local cheese was enjoyed by the knights. But sadly, there were as few cheese stores as there are vowels in the Welsh language. I couldn't find one place in the village to get a morsel of the semi-firm woodsy cheese. I will have to satisfy my Caerphilly craving by ordering it on Paxton & Whitfield.

Editors' Note: This blog post is the first in an ongoing series, Ask Kemp!

One of the many perks that come with a professional life in the food world--besides never being hungry, and having the great fortune to taste some amazing culinary creations--is that you can count on staying in touch with your friends on a regular basis, because who do they call when they've got a cooking question? You!

In my case, six months making omelets at Clyde's of Georgetown in Washington, D.C., cooking school in Paris, three decades in the Gourmet magazine test kitchens, and most recently, entry into 21st century digital food media at Epicurious.com, have kept my phone ringing and I couldn't be happier. I love every question--and trust me, there are no stupid questions. Food continues to fascinate me. It's also humbling; the more you know, the more you realize how much you still don't know.

That said, bring on the questions. I'm here to help! Contact me via the Epicurious Facebook page or tweet me @AskKemp. If I don't know the answer, I know who to ask to find the answer. To get you started, here are two real questions I got in the past two weeks from friends.

"Have you heard of chuck mock tendersteaks?" a colleague asked me recently as she was standing in the meat aisle of a big-box store, "because they're a dollar cheaper per pound than the chuck top blade steaks."

When it comes to making easy, satisfying suppers, we're huge fans of the slow cooker. This simple-to-use countertop appliance really is the busy home cook's best friend. And gone are the days of the same old slow-cooker stew. Thanks to a surge in popularity, as well as a wealth of cookbooks devoted to the topic, we've discovered the incredible versatility of slow cookers. In addition to all the different soups, stews, and roasts, slow cookers are great for poaching salmon, making vegetable curries, gently cooking pork shoulder, making delicate rice pudding, or even whipping up a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

After five days in Cartagena recently, I think I have only scratched the surface of this alluring city's enchantments. But one thing is for sure: The best meal I had was also the best deal I could ever want--a $7 lunch at La Mulata in the historic center.

Camarones Habañeros, chosen from the set Tuesday menu, came with
a hint of heat and a wave of lime--simple, herbal, perfectly balanced. (The green fruit, everywhere in Cartagena,
was the signature note of my stay.) As lively as these flavors is La Mulata
itself, a neighborhood institution that draws Cartageñeros on their lunch hour
as well as tourists, where the Centro and San Diego districts meet. The
restaurant serves lunch only, and there may be a wait, but the line vanishes in
no time.

I'm told by a regular it's the quickest service in the
city--true, by far, in my brief experience--but if you go, be sure to take time to
explore the place and soak up the cheerful, attentive welcome. What began eight years
ago as an eight-seat fried-food spot in a nearby street, owner Jorge Gonzalez
explained by email last week, now seats 200 in two packed front rooms (low-key
chic with wall-to-wall vintage black-and-whites and a mural of local lingo), a
long breezeway corridor, and a rather magical back patio.

And the name? Gonzalez tells me it represents "the
beautiful blend of America, Africa, and Europe in the Caribbean--culture,
taste, playfulness, all in one dish, all in one place." (La Mulata, Calle
Quero 9-58, Cartagena, Colombia, 57-66-46-222.)

Sriracha, or "rooster sauce" is wildly popular among the food set, but the original version, direct from Thailand, is called Sriraja Panich, and it's just starting to be discovered in the U.S. market. Cookbook author, food writer, and cooking teacher Andrea Nguyen recently talked to Eastland, Sriraja Panich's sole U.S. distributor, and posted her Q&A over on our sister site, Bon Appetit.com.

Sriraja Panich, says Nguyen, "has a lovely balance of bright chile heat, delicate sweetness, vinegary tang, and garlicky backnote." In her conversations with Eastland, Nguyen got the backstory on this addictive condiment. She also learned how Sriraja Panich is made and how it's typically used in its home country. For more on Sriraja Panich, read the complete Q&A on Bon Appetit.com. To find where Sriraja Panich is available near you, check out the company's Facebook page, and search the Epicurious recipe database for dozens of recipes featuring rooster sauce.

If you eat a salad featuring hydroponically grown lettuce atPrairie Grass Cafe in Chicago suburb Northbrook, it's most likely been grown by local schoolchildren.

Each week kids in the Green Growers Club at Ravinia Elementary School and third-grade teacher Dennis Brosseau, who heads the program, deliver a shipment
of freshly harvested green butter lettuce to Prairie Grass Cafe chefs
Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris.

The Ravinia lettuce is served with
blue cheese dressing, apple slices, and warm croutons. "We deliver it by 4:15 p.m. each Friday, and it
sells out by Sunday," notes Brosseau.

"The
lettuce is delicious, and the children have been a joy to work with," says Sarah Stegner. "It's rewarding to see their energy and enthusiasm. Our
partnership with Ravinia Elementary School hits to the heart of how
business and community can work together to empower our
children. Everyone benefits."

Stegner adds, "I strongly believe that having a food
curriculum in school is paramount. The kids get to see where food comes
from beginning to end and each step of the way. It changes the way they
think and ultimately educates them in making
smarter food choices."

The
Green Growers Club produces the hydroponically grown lettuce from September to April, staggering planting to ensure a weekly harvest of 24 to 36 lettuces. Not familiar with hydroponics? Fifth-grade student Lizze Insoft explains: "It's a system of growing without soil, with artificial
sun. It's much easier and grows faster because
water is constantly flowing. It's the only kind of lettuce I like."

In
April, youngsters in kindergarten through second grade switch to soil and plant dwarf
sunflower plants to give for
Mother's Day. The third-grade students will grow 600-plus zinnia and cockscomb celosia plants to brighten their school and also sell in early June. Students grow tomato plants and basil to
sell, too.

Does your local school have a greenhouse or window boxes? Any tips for gardening with kids?

If food, as seen in a global context, is of interest, then head over to the American Museum of Natural History for their current exhibition, Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture. I had a chance to visit and was delighted by what I found. While the museum's signature blue whale is a must-see, so is Our Global Kitchen, especially since its last day at the museum will be August 11, 2013. (But don't worry: the exhibition will eventually travel.)

Dr. Eleanor Sterling, Director of the American Museum of Natural History's Center for Biodiversity, co-curated the exhibit and took some time to answer some questions about the museum's objective with regards to food and its global impact, as well the multi-sensory appeal of the exhibit for kids of all ages.

(Kitchen artifacts; photo courtesy of AMNH\D. Finnin)

Epicurious: What was the catalyst for this exhibition? How did it evolve from its original concept?

Eleanor Stirling: Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture was several years in development, and was conceived as part of a series of temporary exhibitions on topical issues created by the Museum, along with Water: H20=Life in 2007-08 and Climate Change in 2008-09.

Our concept from the beginning was an exhibition about food that tackled key societal challenges like human health and the environmental impact of food, but at the same time, emphasized the joy, wonder, and celebration associated with food in our lives. We also wanted the exhibition to consist of a highly engaging mix of artifacts, recreated tableaux, hands-on interactives, media installations, and tastings.

The exhibition traces food from farm to fork, taking visitors beyond their day-to-day experiences with food by immersing them in the environmental, historical, economic, socio-cultural, industrial, and scientific dimensions of food production, preparation, and consumption.

Interest in food and food issues has grown in recent years, and we felt that the exhibition would be well poised to attract a diverse audience.

(Read the rest of the interview and get a glimpse of the exhibition, after the jump.)